Bruce Pearl Calls Lane Kiffin A ‘Dumbass’

Bruce Pearl loves attention. Anyone who has seen him in action knows that’s the case. You think he really wears that loud orange suit just because he’s proud to be a Tennessee Volunteer? That may be part of it, but the guy loves the spotlight. Unless, of course, the spotlight comes in the form of major recruting violations and lying to NCAA investigators.

So what’s a funny guy to do when he finds himself in a sticky situation? Thank everyone for their support, apologize, and make a funny. Check, check, and check. If I coached at a school with a Lane Kiffin connection, I’d probably use him, too. Kiffin is known for things like taking jersey numbers without explanation. He also wasted no time getting himself into hot water when he took over the USC football program.

For those reasons and more, Pearl decided to lighten the mood by taking a shot at Kiffin. Sports by Brooks Live called our attention to Pearl’s comments, as told by Go Vols Xtra, which he made after admitting that he had embarrassed and humiliated the university.

I’ve made mistakes, I clearly did, but what I was hoping for was that some other dumbass would get on the front page and take me off the hook,” Pearl said. “I miss Lane Kiffin.”

Talk about the pot calling the kettle black. I understand he was trying to loosen up the room, but I doubt Kiffin will appreciate being called a dumbass. On second thought, who cares what Kiffin thinks? We certainly love it.